


Monster

by ThisIsLightful



Series: NaDa [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 06:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12811941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisIsLightful/pseuds/ThisIsLightful
Summary: All stories have a beginning. This one starts with coffee and a monster and a question that changes everything, although they do not know it at the time.





	Monster

Coffee. That was the first thing on her mind when she woke up. Well, not quite. She was thinking of the Red Room. Of dancing and bleeding. Of killing and strategizing and saving and ruining.

But coffee. Coffee was good at— she checked her phone before putting it back in her pocket— three o'clock in the morning. At least it wasn't the Vodka she wanted to desperatelya chug. Not that it could do much to her, anyway.

 _Monster._ People shouted. _Monster._  She crushed a man's throat beneath her fingers. _Monster._

"Hello Darcy." She idly collected what she needed from the cabinets. She ignored the bags hanging under her eyes. She looked good in purple so it didn't really matter. Most people in the Tower were insomniacs, adding herself to the mix would hardly surprise any of them.

The brunette pouted, crossing her arms over her Doctor Who pajamas. "C'mon, Natasha! Couldn't you at least pretend to be startled for me?"

Natasha resolutely ignored her playful mannerisms and focused on drinking her coffee: it was black and made her body feel alive, even as her mind remained groggy. She smirked at Darcy's disgusted face. "You're in a tower full of mentally unstable, traumatized, battle-ready supers. Startling any of them isn't your brightest idea."

"I never claimed to be bright."

Darcy was usually a force of nature, always moving. It bothered Natasha because it often made Darcy hard to track. Darcy was barely moving. She wasn't getting anything from the kitchen. Why was she here? Natasha didn't like not knowing things.

"What do you want?" Natasha used the same voice she used to scare Stark into doing whatever she wanted. Going by Darcy's now rigid posture, she guessed it worked on her, too.

"You're a monster!"

Natasha slowly set her coffee down. "What?  _Monster. The red would never be wiped from her ledger._

"Uh. Shit. Not what I meant to say." She blushed in embarrassment, but her voice did not waver and her brown eyes determinedly met Natasha's own blue, "You're strong. And amazing. And you're not a genius or an alien or severely genetically altered, not in a way that really counts."

Natasha's mouth felt dry. Was it hot in here? It was probably just her coffee; she took another sip. "Technically, I _am_ an alien. I'm from Russia." Natasha did not know how to deal with this, her poor attempt at humor clearly conveyed this fact. She was not awake enough for this. She took another swig of caffeine and regretted not getting alcohol. Why was she sober?

Darcy leaned into her personal space. Natasha's face did not change expression, but she felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Darcy was going to ask something big of her. "You're a monster like the rest of them, even without magical monster enhancements. Teach me. Please."

"Why." Not a question. A demand.

"The world is filling up with Supers. Villains and heroes and civilians alike. I'm not special. I'm just Darcy, and I'm okay with that, but Just Darcy needs some upgrades if she wants to stay friends with the people she likes. I'm not a genius and I'm not strong. I need to learn how to win without those things, how to survive with what I've got. You can teach me those things." Darcy made an aborted movement for Natasha's hand. "Please." 

Reluctantly, Natasha ghosted her fingers over Darcy shoulder in a facismile of comfort. "Okay." She liked the fire in this woman, she'd keep it burning bright.

"Okay?"

"But we do it _my_ way." There was a tilt to her lips and a sharpness to her eyes that made Darcy nervous, but Darcy agreed, what other choice did she really have? Besides, Natasha wasn't cruel when she didn't have to be.

"Six o'clock sharp. Don't be late." Natasha sauntered out of the room, mug firmly in hand.

 _Maybe,_ Natasha thought. M _aybe it isn't so bad to be a monster, if that means that Natasha can help people like her, like Darcy._

 _"Monster."_ Natasha accused the mirror. And for the first time, the sound didn't taste like poison.


End file.
